


A wintry refrain

by Sensualityplus



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Accidental biting, Cold, Cold body, Commitment, M/M, Vampire Bites, Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:46:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29632065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sensualityplus/pseuds/Sensualityplus
Summary: Dimitri is a vampire. In a night filled with violence and bloodlust he accidentally bites Dedue. Sobriety is brought on by his actions as he attempts to hide his victim and nurse him through the transformation process.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Dedue Molinaro
Kudos: 10





	A wintry refrain

Night, it came with a velvet shroud of black and a sprinkle of glitter. Ominous shadows stretched and multiplied into contorted arrangements. Dimitri was locked together in an indissoluble embrace with the darkness. It was difficult to tell where one entity ended and the King began. Durable porcelain was the eerie lustre of his flesh, marked with cracks from arduous war. It pierced through the dark like a dagger of light, ensuring that he was distinctly visible in the gloomy scenery. One cerulean eye acted like candlelight, creating an ethereal glow where silhouettes coiled and shivered. 

As a vampire he was a gadabout without fear of death. His target was to feast upon the bandits and thieves who preyed on innocent civilians. In the food chain their necks were his to devour and he did so with a merciless appetite. He fed and imparted his esoteric desires upon them, empowered by their screams, their tears, and their pleads for mercy. Upon his ruthless mouth were the lipstick like stains of blood. Upon his breath was the stench of a butchery of rotten flesh. The stains and the stench were all that remained of the victims he turned to ashes.

Despite his prepossessing appearance he was not easy to focus upon. In the blink of an eye he could vanish from sight. In the same breath he could stand out from the darkness and become one with it. All that lingered was his unsanitary aroma. 

Into the cold embrace of the night Dedue ventured in search of his liege. Upon his nightly checks he noticed Dimitri's absence. A concern honed by time and circumstances gripped his heart while his mind suffered delusions of worst case scenarios. In search of answers he started a thorough investigation: where was Dimitri and was he safe? 

Outside the palace the air felt soft and mellow upon his skin, even though there was a hint of a chill which threatened to gnaw at any exposed flesh. Dedue diligently surveyed his surroundings from the patterned pebbles at his feet to the aerial mists in the mountainous horizon and over the leafless, sere tree skeletons. The night sky was full of glamour with diamond stars and a black pearly lustre. The glamour and beauty belied what was hidden by darkness.

There were disquieting patches of blood but no signs of the source. They formed in puddles were the undesirable underbelly of society used to loiter. Dedue had never noticed it before but there was an unpleasant scent which hung over the place and seemed to be more prominent when night reined. 

Curtains twitched with the activity of the curious. Noisy neighbours peaked out at Dedue and spoke in whispers in racist taints. Dedue knew he wasn't trusted. He did not have to hear the voices trying to sully his reputation to know what was said. A barrier had been built over his heart but even the strongest barrier could be dented. 

A nauseating sound captured Dedue's attention. He grimaced as he heard the sounds of a voracious appetite crunching bones, slurping marrow, tearing flesh and gurgling blood in a most obscene manner. Upon following the sound the perfume of spoilt flesh free pungent, almost unbearably so. A handkerchief gifted by the King was used to cover his nose. He coughed into it, inhalation had become an uncomfortable process. 

Around a corner amongst the maze of buildings and fauna Dedue caught sight of the source of the horrendous scent and sounds. There was a foreboding silhouette hunched in a ball of feasting. A man was being devoured in beastly fashion. Dedue's hand rested you his hilt, a defensive measure against the unknown. With each step he inched closer, with each step his heart rate increased, fear and horror and disgust, all the emotions turned to venom poisoning any pleasantness that remained. 

A bolt of blonde was visible in the darkness, unbrushed, untamed and unsettling unwashed. It was a field of knitted and clumped blades of hair. 

Dedue was given little opportunity to react when he was assaulted by the bloodletting monster. The speed was inhuman, possibly not of this world. He did not know that he was the next victim until it was too late.

Dimitri had charged at him with such ferocity that Dedue had become implanted in a wall. Stones formed a restraint around him. He was held in place whilst Dimitri stabbed with stalactite fangs in the throat. From disgust to bliss, Dedue was effectively distracted by the unpleasantness on his senses by the penetration and sucking of his neck. Any calls for help were stifled by soft moans. Intoxication possessed every limb with laziness of drunkenness. Every muscle slackened and melted to butter as the will to resist eroded away. 

Dedue could feel the monster move in the perversion of broken gyrations, firm and immovable against his powerful frame. Tightness in his throat was a stifling sensation as the ability to breath was hampered as he suffocated in pleasure. Death was slow and sweet, rather than fighting the inevitable, Dedue let himself slip into unconsciousness.

Dimitri pulled back, absolute horror marked his face. Bloodlust had blinded him. He never meant to bite him. At night, when he fed, he was no longer caring Dimitri but a rampaging demon fixated on gluttony. He hugged Dedue and whispered tearful apologies into his skin. 

"What do I do?" He howled the question into the night. "I have spread the disease." He cradled Dedue's amble frame with surprising ease. Should he kill him so he did not have to suffer the burden of vampirism? No, he couldn't bring himself to mercy kill him. It was Dedue, his Dedue, his most cherished and gentle friend. Life without him would be an empty void. If he couldn't mercy kill them he needed to find a safe place to hide him. His mind was an organised office of ideas, he searched through various files of his memories until a suitable place was found. The palace was a labyrinth, beneath the embellished grandeur of the surface decor were tunnels and secret passageways, unmapped and not referenced in the vast libraries of Fodlan. 

He ascended out of the medieval styles towers with the skilful grace of a squirrel. Dedue was flung over his shoulder in a fireman's lift as he scaled the cloud caressing heights. There was no sound from diet embedded claw or clumsy thumbing feet as he swung between razor pointed peaks. He cast no shadow below as he hung like a gargoyle in the dizzying heights. 

Soon he was out of sight, a broken slate tile provided his entry point. Below him was a spiralling kaleidoscope of interwoven stairs. They appeared to bend into all angles, the human senses would have been unable to tell which direction they were travelling. The acute and variable vision of a vampire could unravel the illusion with ease.

He ventured downwards into the bowels of the palace where the resting place of the fallen were marked. Skull and run covered every wall in the claustrophobic hiding place. It was a place where light failed to reach even at the greatest height. Darkness was light to the vampiric eye, Dimitri could see with remarkable clarity what was shrouded in shadows. 

Dedue was laid within the sumptuous silk lining of a miss covered casket. Comfort became paramount for Dimitri as he fluffed the lining and ensured the body was in a natural position. 

When a human transformed into a vampire the decline in the temperature of the body was the first of many obstacles to face. Staying warm was a constant challenge, even for experienced vampires, Dimitri did not bother to fight it anymore, the cold was a companion he had grown accustomed to. Dedue would face a chill similar to those in the final throes of hypothermia, and exhibit behaviour such as terminal burrowing and paradoxical undressing. The only thing Dimitri could think of to help was to loan his cape. The weighty fur lined garment had served as a defensive barrier against the weather for years. It was time for the cape to perform a most sacred duty; comfort and warmth for his precious friend.

Another issue for a newly awakened vampire was sensory overload. The vampire had sensory perception far beyond that of a human,even a crest bearer. It enabled a vampire to experience the essence of an object and see the aura which surrounded every living creature. A gloomy, eerily quiet catacombs was a suitable place for Dedue to awaken. The absence of light meant his eyes would not suffer, the lack of sound meant there would be little opportunity for the head to ache and the mild dusty aromas wouldn't cause allergic reactions in the nostrils. 

Dimitri stood on guard, watching and waiting for him to rouse. Beneath the surface anxiety brewed, a sensation which gnawed at his stomach leaving a sickly feeling behind. Would Dedue hate him for accidentally turning him into a vampire? The Blaiddyd crest was the crest of the vampire, a secret kept by the royal family ever since their bloodline was created. There was no one he was more open and honest with than Dedue. Had he gone and destroyed the trust between them? So many questions haunted the mind but only patience would reveal the answers. Patience, he had an uneasy relationship with that particular virtue. With children learning to sword fight or his friends and their trails, his patience was amble. However waiting became torment when it included matters of the heart, be it love or rage. At this moment his capacity for patience was limited. 

Time, was it mocking him? It seemed to be standing still. Dedue and time, both were as unmoving as death. A hand trailed through fine, white hair as he admired the strong facial features of his friend and the embellishment of scars. Dimitri had to admit there was something about his strong cheekbones that made him rather handsome. He let his finger wander and trace their silhouette as a way of occupying himself. 

A soft moan was the first sight of Dedue's awakening. Dimitri held his placebo breath as he anxiously lingered just out of sight. The moan was followed by movement, rigidly he raised a hand and felt the casket surrounding him. He blinked several times to adjust his vision. Dry orbs were not suitable to produce clarity. Every object had a blurred edge, as though life was a watercolour painting and the coloured ran into each other. He moved again, his time his mouth opened due to the habit of breathing. The result was a lip sliced by an awkward fang.

"Dedue?" Dimitri spoke in the quietest volume he could muster. He did not wish to be the cause of a headache. Blood, a constant bane, Dedue's bloody lips whispered to him in seductive tones. Dimitri swallowed his drool, forcing himself to focus on pure thoughts of care.

"Your Highness, am I dead?" Dedue's voice was stifled by the dryness of his thirsty mouth.

"Yes and no, it is complicated." Dimitri found himself laughing , the strange reaction of his relief. Dedue was not angry at him. It was the sweetest miracle. 

"You attacked me...Why?" Dedue noisily tried to clear his throat, the effort was futile , normal techniques did not work. 

"It was an involuntary attack. I was not in control of my desire, my hunger for blood." Dimitri felt that tinge of anxiety again, it made his back as stuff as an ironing board.

Dedue closed his eyes, he found his improved vision uncomfortable. To see through the darkness as though it was not there was a disquieting experience. "I understand. In Duscur there were stories about vampires who buried themselves in soil by day and hunted humans by night." 

" Oh, so you are familiar with vampiric myth. At least everything won't be as unexpected. However I think the Duscur vampire is different. I don't bury myself, nor am I troubled by light. I guess vampires from different areas have different attributes. " Relief was a wonderful feeling, Dimitri felt lighter, brighter.

"I am a vampire." Dedue confirmed, surprisingly calm considering the situation, almost accepting of his fate. Dimitri did not know whether to view the calmness as troubling or not. Was it loyalty and dedication which made Dedue accept what had happened? Dimitri wished he knew.

"Yes, yes you are a vampire." Dimitri sounded like he was in disbelief more than Dedue was. 

"Who do you want me to kill?" Dedue rose as though he was pulled to his feet by ropes attached to all his limbs.

"What! no one!" Dimitri gasped, stunned by the sudden unnerving movement. "Why would you ask me that?" There was quivering in his voice as all of his composure was lost.

"I am your sword and shield. You have transformed me, crafted me from sturdier material. I am now able to fulfil my duty with greater proficiency. You shall no longer have to risk being caught feeding. I will bring you blood...forever." Dedue attempted to bow but the icy firmness of his limbs made fluid movement problematic. He nearly toppled but Dimitri caught him in his arms. 

"Dedue, please do not worry about me or your perceived duties and obligations. You need to rest, stay warm and let me tend to you. Do not be stubborn. That is an order!" Dimitri carefully lifted the immovable corpse back in the casket and covered him with his cape. "Remember when we fought side by side and tended to each other's wounds? Consider this as me tending to your injuries."

Dedue sighed, a drawn out inhalation of breath to display his reluctant surrender to the will of his liege. "I will let you tend to me. My body is not moving well."

Dimitri chuckled softly, it was difficult to tell who was the most stubborn of the pair of them. In a way they were stubborn soulmates both wanting to care for the other. "It is natural. When you become a vampire there is a dramatic drop in temperature in the body. It makes the joints rigid and the skin unyielding. The only way to get through this stage is to try and stay warm."

It has been a while since they last cuddled together, alone, dependent on each other for everything. The familiarity and comfort was more than welcome as Dedue rested his head in Dimitris silent chest. "I always wondered why I could never feel your heart beating. I thought I was mistaken but now I know."

Dimitri chuckled again, "I remember you asking me about it once. I completely changed the topic of conversation." He ran his fingers through Dedue's hair, an instinctive behaviour which just felt good. 

"I wondered why you always felt cold." Dedue echoed the chuckle, the slightest soft smile was one reserved for Dimitri's eyes only.

"You were always persistent with making me tea and soup, more than I could ever consume by myself. I did get a little irritated by you mothering me. I understood it was because you cared but I was stubborn." Dimitri sighed happily, content reminiscing about the stubborn and over protective behaviours they both shared. "The soup and tea were always very delicious. Sylvain was always willing to help me make sure none of your cooking went to waste." He held Dedue's shivering body, his eyes slits of sleepy peace. "I will make an excuse for you. I will say you have been ordered to take time off and have gone to Duscur. That should give your body time to adjust to the transformation. You will have to stay down here, hidden from view. I will find ways to excuse myself from my duties and come to look after you. I promise you that."

Dedue nodded, "Understood… I do not like you bring alone up there, without me."

Dimitri knew there was nothing he could do about the protective mindset. "I know that nothing I can say will stop you worrying. Remember that I am a vampire, not a mere human. I am not easy to harm."

Dedue did understand but could not stop his concern. The concern was born out of love as care, Dimitri would always be his world. "I will miss you when you have to perform your duties."

"I will as well Dedue. I will as well."


End file.
